Analogue Books

 Analogue Books is an independent bookshop specialising in independently published books and magazines. Owned by Julie Nicoll and Russell Ferguson, Analogue Books was first established in Edinburgh in 2001, and recently relocated to their charming new premises in the city on Candlemaker Row.

 The focus of Analogue Books is art and design related publications, covering a whole throng of sub-topics including architecture, graphic design, illustration and fashion. The predominant focus of the store is book publications, but the shop also houses an impressive array of indie magazines and zines (many of which are published in-house), along with short run graphic prints and the odd record. They also include staple titles from the likes of Lawrence King publications et al., but Nicoll and Ferguson centre much of their time and energy into sourcing books from the more obscure independent publishers such as Nobrow and Seems, as well as acquiring books from artists directly. There is also a real local tilt to Analogue Books. While some work is sourced from overseas, most items sold within their walls are UK based, and indie, are predominately focused on local Scottish talent, such as the work by the utterly captivating The Lindstrom Effect.

 As well as their retail arm, Analogue Books also plays host to a variety of events and exhibitions. Graffiti artists, screen-printers and illustrators have exhibited in the teeny galley out back in exciting and curious ways, and have even added their works to the interior design of the store. Artist exhibitions have included the marvellous Tom Gauld, who creates now weekly cartoons for The Guardian, and local artist Matt Swan, who recently added some original artwork to the store’s doorway.

 Analogue Books is a real treasure trove of independent art books, and has added hugely to the creative scene in Edinburgh over is 10+ years. Its collection of odd, beautiful, thought-provoking and subtle publications allow one to discover some of the latest movers and shakers in the art and design world, especially at a local level. They also have an efficient online store for those of you who cannot make it up to Edinburgh anytime soon.

http://www.analoguebooks.co.uk/

Blitz

Often described as the Harrods of vintage, Blitz is London’s first fully-fledged vintage department store, located just off Brick Lane (where else?), in a disused Victorian warehouse. This huge space covers over 9,000 square feet over two floors, and boasts a magnitude of quality stock for both men and women.

This ambitious project was developed by a miscellany of established vintage dealers in August 2011. Run by people with experience in the trade and with an excellent eye for good vintage finds, Blitz is no pretenders’ start-up jumping on the vintage bandwagon, and it shows. Blitz has slick, hip interiors, similar in vibe to Urban Outfitters shops, and most importantly, the store is well laid out, with proper display areas and products organised by type. This is a refreshing change from the awkward sifting through crammed rails of moth-eaten viscose for that one workable vintage gem, as is typical at many other vintage stores. In addition, clothing at Blitz is even bought in seasonally, so at the moment you’ll find plenty of handsome tweed coats, bright woolly jackets and shearling denim within its walls.

 Blitz wears are extremely reasonably priced, and varied. Items from every decade of the twentieth century are available, from your average vintage fare to exciting designer finds from Ralph Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garcons and Alexander McQueen. As one might expect, there is more of a heavy focus on items from the 80s and 90s, which is easier and cheaper to come by for obvious reasons, but there are still extraordinary finds at Blitz that hark right back to the Victorian era in a few cases, and if you’re lucky you might even find 1920s’ flapper gowns and opera capes to snap up.

Clothing as expected is the main focus at Blitz, but one can also pick up books, records, accessories, luggage, and even bicycles there. In addition, like any good department store, there is a growing furniture and home wares section, curated by Broadway Market’s purveyors of heritage design The Dog and Wardrobe. Finally, there is even an in-store café, which serves coffee from an ancient converted Fiat.

Blitz offers a new, more accessible style of vintage retail, which is professional, intelligent and enjoyable. Visiting the store is a real experience, and ideal for anyone into vintage or bargain hunting. They even have January sales on at the moment, and student discounts throughout the year – awesome.

http://www.blitzlondon.co.uk/